


Wee Bit Of Trouble

by Kerkerian



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Danny Whump, Doll-sized Danno, Established Relationship, Fluff, Humour, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mad Science, Ohana, Steve Needs a Hug, mcdanno
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 17:30:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14836044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kerkerian/pseuds/Kerkerian
Summary: Steve and Danny can't quite believe their eyes when Max shows them their latest murder victim. And then there's Murphy's law, of course, which is why Danny ends up in an unprecedented predicament...





	Wee Bit Of Trouble

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Five-0. Or any of the mentioned doll franchises.
> 
> Since I had way too much fun doing this to Sherlock, I began writing this story several months ago. It quickly turned out that this wasn't going to be as light-hearted, since Sherlock Holmes and Danny Williams are two very different people, but I kept going back to it nevertheless. So here it is (set sometimes during Season 2).

 

 

It’s one of those days which has Steve asking himself whether most of mankind is actually crazy and why, even if that’s not the case, the most certifiable nutjobs still all end up on his island at one point.

Scientists misemploying their resources in order to experiment while entertaining the misguided belief that they are doing the world a favour is one thing.

Scientists who have been corrupted to partake in criminal activities, such as developing formidable new bio-weapons is another.

But scientists who are just batshit crazy and like to experiment for the fun of it, no matter what? That’s too Frankenstein even for a man who doesn’t usually shy back from the more unorthodox approach of doing things (shark cages come to mind). But now he’s got to deal with just such a case, and it’s much more difficult when one just doesn’t believe what one’s seeing.

 

Max, who is teetering between freaking out and sheer excitement, does his best to keep calm and almost solemnly pulls back the sheet in order to show them the victim. Well, ‘sheet’ doesn’t really apply this time- it’s more like a towel.

Steve opens his mouth and closes it again, then looks at Danny, who’s pursing his lips: “This a joke?”

“The answer to that is no.” Max gives the impression that he’s close to rubbing his hands together at that. “It’s an ordinary human body. Only-“

“Only it’s about the size of a Barbie doll,” Steve mutters, still not believing his eyes.

Danny shakes his head: “A Barbie doll actually is a bit bigger,” he provides.

When both Steve and Max look at him at that, he raises his hands defiantly: “What? I’ve got a daughter! It’s my job to know these things!”

“Played Barbie with her, too?” Steve asks, grinning delightedly.

Danny doesn't dignify this with an answer.

“Anyway,” Max says, “due to the circumstances, I wasn’t able to perform an autopsy. I did however examine the body as thoroughly as possible.”

Steve, who's still trying to wrap his head around the fact that his is really happening, pinches the bridge of his nose: “Were you able to ID him?”

“No. His fingerprints are too small.”

“So what else did you find out?” Danny asks. “Who did this to him, maybe? And _how_? And I don't wanna hear any far-fetched stories about ancient spirits or Hawaiian ghost animals.”

Steve smirks at Max; it's no secret that Danny is a bit sensitive when it comes to these matters.

“I'm afraid I can't tell you who is responsible for this and how they achieved such a frankly astonishing accomplishment.”

Steve and Danny exchange another glance.

Max notices it and hurries to explain: “Well, it is. I'm not saying it's ethical, but if this body has indeed been... transformed from a normal sized one into the one we're seeing in front of us, it's a so far unequalled achievement. Making the person or persons who did this rather brilliant, if at the same time immeasurably dangerous.”

“So why did he die?” Danny asks after a moment of comprehension. “Because of the 'transformation'?”

Max shakes his head: “It looks like blunt force trauma to the back of his head.”

Steve frowns; this is getting weirder by the minute. “So he was _murdered_?”

“Possibly.” Max replies calmly.

“Any other injuries?”

“Apart from a rather large amount of bruises, he appears unscathed.”

“Who found him at all?” Danny now asks because he'd like to know whether to expect either a mass panic or a media hype or both.

“He was washed ashore during the night and subsequently found by a homeless man.” Max pushes his glasses further up his nose. “He brought the body straight to HPD. Luckily, it was rather early, and Duke Lukela immediately arranged for the precinct to keep the matter under wraps.”

“And the homeless guy?”

“Was very drunk from what I was told. So hopefully, he'll think he only imagined it.”

Danny shakes his head, feeling sorry for the guy. Admittedly though, it's best for their situation if not a single word gets out.

Steve puts his hands on his hips and makes Aneurysm Face for a moment before he speaks: “Okay. I'd say it's a case for the FBI, but how am I gonna tell them...” He falls silent again, envisaging the incredulous laughter at the other end of the line.

“Ask for Mulder,” Danny says drily. “ _He_ 'll believe you.”

While Steve looks momentarily confused, Max grins.

 

In hindsight, things really began to go downhill from there. Due to a gut feeling, Steve didn't inform the FBI about the case yet. Meanwhile Five-0, once Chin and Kono were in the picture (and it took a while until they stopped looking around for hidden cameras), began to investigate. Chin and Kono went through the missing persons database and soon found a visual match with the body, a guy called Mark Harris, but when they followed up on that, they hit nothing but dead ends; the man had been a clerk in a bank, single and unremarkable.

“Maybe some mad scientist put an ad on Craigslist and Harris volunteered after watching _The Borrowers_ ,” Danny mused tiredly at one point, running a hand over his face.

Kono tried not to grin at that: “I liked that movie.”

Nothing indicated that Harris had been hanging out with mad scientists in his free time however.

 

That evening, Danny and Steve settled down on the couch and watched a game they taped earlier, but their thoughts were still on their case. Danny, who didn't sleep well the previous night, had just dozed off when at one point, Steve suddenly sat up straighter.

Since Danny's head was resting on Steve's thigh, he was startled awake by it. Blinking, he peered up at his partner: “You look as though you just had an epiphany, Babe.”

Steve looked down at him: “We said he was roughly the size of a Barbie doll, right?”

“Yeah?”

“I gotta call Max.”

“As long as that doesn't mean you have to get up- I'm very comfortable right now.”

The corners of Steve's mouth quirked upwards; while he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled Max' number, he slowly ran his free hand over Danny's arm and eventually pushed it under his shirt, gently caressing the warm skin.

Danny was close to purring by the time Max finally answered.

Steve put the call on speaker: “Commander McGarrett,” Max said. “What can I do for you?”

“Sorry to be calling you so late,” Steve replied, and Danny proudly patted his leg because he could feel how his partner was brimming with impatience.

“Max- did you check whether there were any fingerprints on the body?”

“On-” Max fell silent. “No, I didn't. Can I call you back?”

“Sure, thank you!”

Steve ended the call and met Danny's now all of a sudden very reproachful gaze.

“What?”

“You made him go back to the morgue. Now. It's nearly eleven.”

“Yes! It's important!”

“Huh. So you think the crazy scientist may have held Harris in his hand like a Barbie doll and left prints?”

“It's worth a shot.”

“Okay. Please keep up the belly-rubbing then, in case we'll also have to get back to work tonight.”

Grinning, Steve bent down and kissed Danny: “Aye, aye, sir!”

 

Half an hour later, Max called back.

“I have indeed found a partial print on the victim's arm,” he said.

“Well done, Max,” Steve replied while Danny already got to his feet with a long-suffering look. He paused however: “What if that print is from the homeless guy who found the body?”

Steve repeated the question to Max, who negated this: “According to HPD, he was so spooked that he didn't actually touch the victim. He used a piece of paper to pick him up.”

“Okay,” Danny said resignedly. “Let's go, come on, Babe.”

 

It took a while since it was only a partial print, but just after midnight, the computer indicated a match. Which really seems too easy when one thinks about it, but right then, they didn't care, since time was at the essence. The man the print belonged to was called Carl Ericsson, and he was indeed a scientist, lecturing at Hawaii Pacific University. Seeing as there currently were enough missing persons on the island, Steve called Kono and Chin while Danny ran background on Ericsson.

He wasn't at his house, but they had found out that he was renting a warehouse near Kalaeloa Airport, and that's where they struck lucky. Well. At least partially, once again. And now Steve, perhaps for the first time ever, thinks that Danny has been right and they shouldn't have proceeded without reinforcements. He still isn't sure how things could go so spectacularly wrong, but admittedly, they did.

The good news are that they have Ericsson in custody.

The bad news currently is about eight inches tall and repeatedly told Steve to wait for backup even as they went in.

 

“Danny,” Steve tries, for the umpteenth time, but his partner doesn't react. “Danny!”

He pinches the bridge of his nose: it's making him nervous that Danny is still unconscious. Max examined him and couldn't find any life-threatening injuries, apart from a number of bruises. Which uncomfortably reminded Steve of Mark Harris, but Max calmed him down: “My best guess is that the transformation put quite a strain on his body. Plus, you told me that he landed rather hard on the ground.”

Steve shook his head: “But he will wake up.” It wasn't a question, and Max remained silent for a moment: “He's strong and healthy. Chances are probably good.”

 

But now it's been more than an hour, and Danny's still not showing any signs of waking. Defeatedly, Steve sits down next to the desk in Max' office on which Danny is lying wrapped in Steve's shirt, and very gently caresses his arm with his fingertip. This arm which now seems as fragile as the rest of his partner; was it only a few hours earlier that they were snuggled up on the couch, watching TV, with Danny being a warm and welcome weight against him? It seems as surreal as this. And whereas Steve realizes that he still didn't entirely believe the whole story until they actually entered the warehouse, it's become painfully real now. Ericsson's alive, but he's been shot. He's unconscious as well, and while the surgeon informed them that it's not life-threatening, he needs to be awake to reverse the process, in fact probably is the only one who can. _If_ he can, Steve thinks with a rush of panic. What if it isn't reversible at all? Oh God. No, that's simply unfeasible. He blinks, trying to concentrate on the small figure in front of him, hoping with all his might that Danny will wake up soon, because Steve needs to hear his voice, needs to see that he's unhurt and alright, apart from the obvious.

 

Danny is freezing. He's not lying in his bed though strangely it does smell of Steve, and his body feels as though he's been run over by truck. Great. He doesn't remember what happened; he must be in a hospital then. With an effort, he blinks his eyes open, taking a moment to register his surroundings. Immediately, a myriad of alarm bells go off, because this isn't a hospital room and something's not right.

“Danno!”

He flinches. Why is Steve shouting at him? Danny turns his head towards his partner, slowly because of his aching body, and then he just stares.

“Danno,” Steve says again, voice softer this time but still too loud. “Do you hear me?”

 _I hear you_ , Danny wants to reply, _I hear you loud and clear because you've turned into a giant_. Only if Steve has turned into a giant, the room around him must have grown as well. Otherwise... Danny closes his eyes, not wanting to know the truth which is now beginning to sink in as bits and pieces are coming back to him. The warehouse. Steve being Steve and Danny pushing him out of the way, followed by the sensation of being hit with considerable force by something fast... and now this.

“No,” he says, unaware how faint his voice is. “No, no, no, no, no, no.” He tries to sit up but his arms won't support him. At once, Steve leans forward to help, but Danny involuntarily shrinks back from him because he's just so freaking _big_.

Steve hesitates: “It's me, Danno. I'm not gonna hurt you.”

Danny forces himself to breathe calmy for a few seconds: “I know. Sorry.”

He looks drained and Steve can see that he is trembling. Immediately, his heart aches for his partner.

Very slowly, he reaches for him again: “I'll be careful, okay? Do you think that you can sit up?”

Mutely, Danny nods, but soon realizes that he actually needs Steve's help; he's weak as a kitten and he can't stop shivering. When he's leaning against Steve's fingers a moment later, it takes a while for the sudden vertigo to abate; he feels dizzy. He doesn't know it, but he's white as a sheet. At least Steve's hand is warm, though.

Max, who has been rummaging around in his lab, now comes back in with a glass: “Ah, Detective Williams. It's good to see you're awake.” His expression is serious, but he looks at Danny kindly.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like I've lost a fight with a bulldozer.”

Max smirks ever so minutely and keeps asking questions until he's satisfied that Danny hasn't suffered any hidden injuries.

He indicates the glass: “I've prepared a dextrose solution you should drink, it will help with the muscle tremors.”

He looks around and after a moment of deliberation, pours a bit of it into a bottle cap which he hands to Danny. Whose hands are shaking as he takes it; the stuff mainly tastes too sweet, but Max usually knows what he's doing, so he drinks as much as he can manage.

“Thank you,” he then mutters. “So what now?”

Max and Steve exchange a glance.

“Ericsson's in the hospital,” Steve explains after a moment of hesitation. “He was shot in the fray. We'll have to wait until he's well enough to return you to normal.” He grimaces: “We can't say how long it will take.”

Danny stares at him incredulously, then he just sags, which is much worse than him shouting at Steve. He seems to be lacking the energy for a rant however, or maybe he really feels as awful as he looks; once more, Steve's heart aches for him.

“Hey,” he says quietly. “You'll be okay, Danno.”

Danny only turns his head to the other side, too distraught and battered to accept any verbal comfort. Steve exchanges another glance with Max, a rather helpless one this time, then he very cautiously uses both hands to pick Danny up together with his own bundled up shirt and gently holds him close to his chest. Danny doesn't protest; right now, he doesn't care, and the warmth is welcome despite everything. Also, Steve's scent is all around him like this, which is always immensely reassuring. Tiredly, he burrows further into the shelter which his partner is providing and closes his eyes; hopefully, he'll wake up and find that this has only been a nightmare.

 

When he wakes the next time, he is lying in his own bed, which albeit seems as big as a football field. He's still freezing even though he's covered with a piece of flannel he recognizes as one of Steve's old plaid shirts; he must have cut it up. He's also used a bit of it for a pillow, which is very sweet.

Blinking, Danny looks around; Steve is stretched out next to him, leaning against the headboard in an almost upright position, and appears asleep. He must have dozed off while keeping watch and Danny knows from experience that he doesn't even mind sleeping like this; it's a SEAL thing, apparently. His arm is lying on the covers. Danny scoots closer to soak up some warmth, trying not to find this eerie.

Ten minutes later, he still feels as though someone's dunked him in ice water. Therefore, after a moment of deliberation, he mobilizes every available ounce of energy he can find in himself and climbs onto Steve's arm, dragging the makeshift blanket behind him. It's slow-going due to his sore muscles, but he half walks, half crawls up the sleeve until he's reached his partner's chest. There, he slips between Steve's shirt and t-shirt, covers himself with the blanket and settles down with a shudder, taking in a deep breath and relishing in the glorious warmth Steve provides.

Since the former SEAL is a light sleeper, he is roused by the unexpected if slight weight on his chest. He peers at his partner, but all he can see is a bit of blond hair. Simultaneously, he feels awfully helpless and full of love. Tenderly, he caresses Danny's back with his finger, hoping that he'll feel better once he's recovered from the transformation and his initial shock.

Steve is aware that Danny is in constant danger for as long as this will last; there are too many things which can happen to him, not even considering what would happen if this got out to the media. But Steve is even more concerned about how Danny will take it- he'll worry about everything, starting with Grace. Steve has pondered the issue, but he's still not come to any decision about her- he thinks it's probably best if she doesn't see her father like this, but in the end it's Danny who'll have the ultimate say about the matter.

 

“What if it isn't reversible?” Danny unexpectedly asks very softly; Steve didn't think he was awake. But Danny's been pondering the irony of suddenly being caught in one of his worst nightmares- suddenly being even smaller than he already is. Granted, in his dreams, it's usually not this extreme, but still.

“It is,” Steve says quickly after a moment of breathless comprehension. “It's gotta be.” He hopes to God it is.

Danny doesn't reply, but Steve can feel him curling up into a ball. Steve hesitates before gently cupping his hand around him: “You know I'll do anything for you, Danno,” he says in a low voice. “I won't stop until you're back to normal.”

Danny shudders; he's aware that Steve means it. But what if he can't? Danny's life as he knew it will be over. He won't be able to work, he won't even be able to live on his own, or lift Charlie up, or dance with Grace ever again... and Steve. It doesn't seem feasible that their relationship can survive this, not when they can't even kiss like this. Meaning, if the process isn't reversible, Danny can as well kill himself. But he can't tell Steve all this, because the big goof really believes in what he just said, and Danny doesn't have the heart to drag him down as well.

“I know,” is therefore all he says, barely audible. Steve can feel how Danny huddles against his palm; he has seen him in a lot of emotionally trying situations by now, but he thinks that his partner never seemed so fragile.

 

“...coffee, strong black tea, any kind of alcohol or medication, anything spicy.”

Steve looks up from the list of things which might be harmful for Danny in his current state; Max wrote it up for them.

“That's not too bad, is it?”

Danny, who's standing on the kitchen counter, folds his arm in front of his chest: “For you, maybe.”

“I can buy decaf,” Steve offers, and Danny can't but be touched: “Thank you, Babe," he says with a sigh, rubbing his forehead: "Now I better not get sick, right?"

Physically, he's doing much better after sleeping for most of the day. He's still feeling sore all over and a little cold though, therefore he's got the plaid blanket wrapped around him; one of the many problems they have to face is that he doesn't have any clothes apart from the things he wore during the raid. Steve already offered to go looking for his old G.I. Joes which have to be in the attic somewhere, but Danny flat out refused; so that will have to wait.

“Where am I going to sleep?” he now asks.

“In our bed, where else?”

“And what if you accidentally suffocate me?”

Steve looks hurt: “I'd never do that.”

Against his will, Danny grins: “Yes, you would. Ever since we've begun sleeping in the same bed, there wasn't one single night after which I didn't wake up with you all over me, you octopus.”

They smile at each other, then Steve sighs: “Okay, maybe you're right.”

“I am right.”

“So what are we going to do? We don't-” Then he breaks off and a delighted expression slowly spreads on his face: “Got it!”

Danny doesn't dare to ask.

 

“No.”

“Come on, it's practical!”

“I'm not moving into my daughter's doll's house.”

“You don't have to,” Steve says patiently, still looking proud of himself. “We'll just take the bed-”

“No.”

“Why not? It's about the right size.”

“It's got hearts on the headboard and ruffles everywhere. _Pink_ ruffles.”

“You won't see the hearts _or_ the ruffles while you're sleeping.”

“Don't even bother, Steve, okay? I'm not sleeping in that, period.”

The bath tub however might come in handy, which Danny admits grumpily. In the kitchen, there's no serviceable cutlery apart from a few spoons, but Danny finds mugs and plates in the right size, if all made from plastic.

Once they're done raiding Grace's room (and Danny made Steve swear on his G.I. Joes to memorise where everything was), Danny once more is at the end of his tether because Steve sometimes takes being practical too far.

Among other things, Danny put his foot down because he didn't want to wear a red woolen jumper which said 'I love you' in bold white letters (worn by a small teddy bear):

“But it's roughly the right size, and it will keep you warm,” Steve had argued.

“Not happening.”

“You're too stubborn for your own good, you know that?”

“I _know_ that I'm not gonna wear that stupid sweater, that's what I know.”

 

In the end it's Kono who saves the day or at least what's left of it when she comes by in the evening with a box containing all kinds of actually useful things.

“I asked my older cousins if they still had their Barbie stuff,” she explains. “Never played with it myself, but they were totally into it. Turns out that the 80's had one big advantage: less polyester, more cotton.”

She's right. There are a few Ken doll t-shirts, sweatpants, shorts and a sweater which actually don't look too bad and are indeed made of cotton. Apart from that there's a bathrobe, a large towel and a comb, a table and a chair.

“You can never tell anyone,” Danny says, and under different circumstances, Kono would have laughed and cracked a joke. But she can see that Danny still doesn't look too good and that his shoulders are slumped in a telltale way, so she just smiles at him sympathetically: “Don't worry about it, brah.”

Danny nods, grateful for her understanding.

 

“Anything else I can do?” she asks Steve as he walks her to the door.

He sighs: “Thank you. I don't know yet.”

She regards him attentively: “Danny's not taking it too well, is he?”

“No.” Steve runs a hand over his face: “He's scared that he'll have to stay like this.”

Kono worries her bottom lip; it must be horrible, facing not only the prospect of complete and utter dependence on others but also not being able to live a normal life ever again. She looks at Steve: “Let's hope that Ericsson will recover quickly,” she says quietly.

Steve nods, once more glad that he didn't call the FBI after all; they'd probably have taken Danny with them. At least he's here, with someone who loves him and is gonna protect him at all costs.

 

Some of the logistics they're dealing with are more challenging than others. For dinner, Steve makes a vegetable soup which he purées after Danny informed him that most of the ingredients look gross up close in his current size or either are rather difficult to eat; the same goes for rice, pasta and most types of meat.

After dinner, Danny calls Rachel. He manages to sound casual but asks her to reschedule his coming up weekend with Grace due to work reasons; when she wants to know the specifics, he's glad to be able to tell her that it's classified. Steve and he have talked about it and agreed that the less people know about the matter, the better, but apart from that, Danny's also worried that Grace might not recover from a shock like this. He briefly talks to her and tells her he'll see her soon; when he ends the call, he's silent and withdrawn. He hasn't eaten much either, but Steve, who knows how it feels to be knocked off one's feet by such an emotional turmoil, doesn't push him.

 

Steve has just put away the dishes when Danny begins to fidget: “I need to pee.” He actually blushes, and Steve immediately understands why: the toilet is ineligible, after all, since Danny doesn't fancy falling off or worse, into it.

In the end, they decide for the sink. Danny pulls all kinds of faces, but it is the safest solution. Steve leaves him to his privacy, secretly grinning because he doesn't think it's such a big deal, but Danny's always been a bit finicky when it comes to these matters. Well; any port in a storm is Steve's motto.

 

That night, Steve and Danny watch a movie together; both of them appreciate the distraction which some mindless entertainment so easily provides, so Steve puts a large cushion next to him onto the couch and puts Danny down on it. It's not the same though; usually, they snuggle up when they do this, sometimes even with a blanket, and they both enjoy it. This time, they are quiet, and Steve finds that he is missing his partner even though he's right next to him. Danny eventually solves the problem by once more climbing up Steve's arm, and he gladly complies by bending it so that Danny can sit in its crook. Steve gently puts his other hand around him, resting his thumb on Danny's legs, which is doing a lot of good for their bruised hearts.

Long before the movie ends, Danny has dozed off. When Steve wakes him, he just blinks at him groggily.

Steve smiles: “Hey,” he whispers. “Do you want to go to bed?”

Danny hums in agreement and closes his eyes again. Steve gets up and walks up the stairs; they have made up a bed in the lid of a shoebox, which Steve has put on the nightstand, Danny's phone right next to it in case he needs anything and Steve doesn't hear him.

Since Danny's already changed into the Ken doll sweatpants and one of the t-shirts earlier (both of which are a little big and wide, but he complained only for a few minutes about it), Steve eases him onto the makeshift bed without trying to rouse him again. He spreads the plaid blanket over him and just looks at him for a while. Tenderly, he caresses his cheek with the tip of his pinky, eliciting a sigh, and suddenly, his eyes are moist.

Annoyed, he tries to blink the unshed tears away, but it's difficult because he's just put his boyfriend to bed as though he were a child, and he is painfully aware that it'd be the end of their relationship as they knew it if Danny can't be turned back to normal for some reason.

The thought is unbearable. Steve loves Danny more than anything, and he'd never abandon him. But it'd be different, because it wouldn't even mean that they'd go back to being friends; he knows Danny well enough to be aware that he'd not consider them equals, seeing how needing someone to care for him all the time simply wasn't the same. He wouldn't want this in the long run, Steve's certain about that.

He sniffs, pressing the back of his free hand against his nose in the attempt not to make too much noise; Danny has after all informed him that his voice is very loud for him.

Still blinking, he looks at his partner for a moment longer, overwhelmed by his love and sorrow.

 

On the following morning, Steve wakes up from something small but insistent patting his cheek. He blinks, momentarily startled, and can only just stop himself from swatting at the annoyance: it's Danny, who's standing in front of his face and trying to rouse him. It takes Steve a moment to recall what happened; he has lain down on the bed and must have dozed off; he hasn't even taken off his clothes.

“You okay?” Danny now asks because Steve looks so befuddled.

“Yeah,” he replies, “sorry. I fell asleep...” Then he realizes what's wrong. “How did you get on the bed? Are _you_ okay?”

“Calm down, I'm alright,” Danny says. “You didn't hear me, so I tried to call you, but your phone must be elsewhere. So I jumped.”

“What? Danno, that's too dangerous!”

“Says the guy who jumps from buildings without so much as batting an eye.”

“And I nearly swatted at you!” Steve says, ignoring him. “What if I had hit you?”

Danny doesn't budge: “What else was I supposed to do, huh? You didn't hear me!”

Steve slowly sits up: “Sorry,” he then says. They're new to this, after all, he shouldn't be hard on Danny. It's not his fault, and he, Steve, should have been more careful instead of falling asleep without his phone.

“Can you please take me to the bathroom now?” Danny grumbles.

“Come here.” Steve holds out his hand for Danny to step on: “Did you at least sleep well?”

“Yeah.” Danny doesn't look at him.

Steve sighs: “I'm really sorry, Danno. I didn't think, okay? It won't happen again.”

When Danny finally meets Steve's eyes, he nods: “Okay.”

If he could, Steve would pull him in for a hug and a kiss. He hates that he can't do that now, that he can't do anything which would seem a sufficient substitute.

“I love you,” he says helplessly.

“I love you too,” Danny replies, and his expression is mirroring Steve's. For a moment, they just regard one another, and Steve feels close to tears again.

At least until Danny says: “But if you don't want a puddle in your palm, you better hurry up now.”

 

Since Steve can't just stay at home for an unforeseeable amount of time, they decide that Danny will accompany him to HQ. It's the safest place he could be and since Chin and Kono know about his condition, he won't have to hide all the time.

After a lengthy discussion and several discarded ideas (“No, you won't strap me to your leg with duct tape, Steven!”), Steve puts Danny into a cardboard box from Liliha, his favourite bakery, on the way from the car into the building. He sweats a lot during the security check, but just as expected, they don't look into the box due to Steve's high-ranking position.

It doesn't stop Chin and Kono from cracking jokes about it however, and deep down, Danny is grateful for it; their friendly banter is the closest to normalcy he's had in what seems like ages.

Apart from that, it's rather uneventful. He and Steve go through Ericsson's file and the material that has been gathered at the warehouse. Due to the nature of the crime, Five-0 has locked the building down and made do without CSU; Max, Chin and Kono have been very thorough and have indeed found traces of Harris' blood on the premises. Apart from that, there were no other human bodies, much to everyone's relief, and nothing indicated that any of the currently missing persons have been involved. Kono found a number of frogs and rabbits however, both miniature and normal-sized, and there was a dead cat which Ericsson apparently was about to transform when Five-0 showed up. Which was what Steve had been looking at when Danny pushed him out of the way, both of them unaware that the process had just been activated before Five-0 stormed in and Harris dove away to hide, firing in all directions with his own gun before he was hit by one of Kono's bullets.

“So either Harris was at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Chin tells Steve, “or Ericsson had his reasons to keep experimenting on animals.”

Steve pales at that, but Chin tries to appease him: “We brought some of the animals to Max. Maybe he can tell us if the normal-sized ones have been... transformed.” He glances over at Kono's office, where Danny and she are on the phone with the hospital. “How's he holding up?”

Steve shakes his head: “Admirably, considering.”

Chin nods; he can't even begin to imagine how Danny must be feeling. And they are talking about _Danny_ , after all: with him, all emotions usually seem to be amplified.

 

Even though they are not really getting anywhere with the case, it feels good to be doing something instead of idling their time away at home, so Steve takes Danny with him on the following day as well. Everything's fine until Five-0 catches another job which immediately takes precedence over the Ericsson case, since the call's come from Washington Place, the governor's residence. Which incidentally is only a stone's throw away; they can already hear sirens.

Steve hurriedly checks in on Danny, who's currently reading a scientific article about 'the improbability of physical transformations by the use of man-made devices' online, huffing at every other sentence. Steve thinks it's too dangerous to take him along, and leaving him in the car isn't an option either, due to the outside temperature.

“You gonna be okay for a few hours?” he asks.

Danny nods: “I've got a telephone and entertainment. If anything goes wrong, I'll call you.”

Steve smiles at him and mouthes “Love you” before he is out of the door.

Danny watches the team leave with no small amount of envy; no matter how often he's complained about Steve's methods, he'd give an arm and a leg right now if he could join them.

An hour later, his eyes are getting tired; it's wearisome and slow-going to press the keys he needs with a pencil, so he shuts the laptop down and decides to take a nap. Since there isn't anything he can use as a pillow, he makes do with Steve's notepad. He curls up and listens, but it's quiet outside, no explosions or similarly alarming sounds coming in, so he closes his eyes; being this small is exhausting, after all.

 

He wakes up three hours later with a stiff neck and feeling frozen, wondering if he should be concerned. Since he can't turn on the TV, he tries to call Steve, but it goes to voicemail, same with Kono and Chin. Huh. He should have asked Steve to leave some water on the desk. He needs to pee as well, but maybe the team will come back soon, so he can wait a bit longer.

Rubbing his cold hands, he scrambles to his feet and walks around the desk for a bit in order to get warm, waiting for the team to return. At one point, he can't hold it in any longer, using the most colourful expletives which come to mind while he stands at the edge of the desk and relieves himself; it'll be okay as long as no one steps into it, he thinks, smirking; at least it's only a small puddle. Afterwards, he resumes to pace from one end to the desk to the other, but after a while, he lies down again, curling in on himself.

He's startled awake in the early morning; after a few confused moments, he knows where he is and why, but the sounds he hears from downstairs are not boding well: it's the cleaning staff. He needs to hide.

 

Five-0 is still at Washington Palace, having traded themselves in in exchange for the governor and the foreign dignitaries he was about to entertain when a group of terrorists came in and took them hostage. Steve is tired and angry and worried about Danny, which makes it difficult to maintain an air of having things under control. Well, he's got a plan because sooner or later they all make mistakes and he's counting on that, but the right moment hasn't come yet, and patience has never been his strong suit. Especially not when he knows that Danny's alone at HQ.

 

Danny's meanwhile been looking for a place to hide; he can't climb off the desk since a) it's too high and b) he isn't freaking Spiderman, and there's nowhere to hide on the desk. Then he thinks of the drawer. Which really is the last place he wants to hide in, but he doesn't have a choice. After a moment of frantic deliberation, he lifts up Steve's scrimshaw letter opener, a gift from the governor, and uses it to pry the drawer open, which takes a considerable amount of strength, but he manages. When the opening is wide enough, he eases himself over the edge and drops down; the drawer lurches a bit on impact. With a pounding heart, Danny crouches down and crawls into it, all the way to the back; luckily for him, Steve only keeps some pens, a notepad, a lense cloth he uses for his laptop and paperclips in it. To be on the safe side, Danny pulls the cloth over himself, which has the nice side effect of actually warming him a little.

Not long afterwards, he hears someone coming in with a trolley. Listening intently, he keeps his eyes firmly on the opening and tries not to focus on the fact that he's sitting in a rather small space with a low ceiling or that someone might discover him.

There are at least two people, two women chatting with one another. When one of them finally comes into Steve's office, Danny holds his breath. She tuts, probably having found the ominous puddle, then apparently empties the waste bin. The next thing Danny hears is a muttered “Commander must have been in a hurry”, then there's an unexpected momentum which propels him forwards as the drawer is being closed. Danny's heart is beating in his throat and he freezes; it's completely dark now, and he's trapped. There's no way he'll be able to get out of here. Terror washes over him so strongly that he begins to shake, and he slowly scrambles towards the side wall, making himself as small as possible and trying very hard not to panic.

 

“Danny!”

Steve barrels into his office two hours later, exhausted and with a freshly stapled wound on his temple, but otherwise okay. When the right moment finally came, he and his team were ready.

He's sent Chin and Kono home and flew up the stairs to HQ, expecting a pissed and maybe ranting Danny.

His stomach drops unpleasantly when he sees that his desk is empty; his partner is nowhere to be seen. “Danny!”

Against better judgement, he looks around the office, but he only opens the drawer when he hears his name, faintly and muffled. Cautiously, he pulls it open; what he sees is immediately making his stomach drop again. Danny is huddled in on himself, hands over his ears, and peers at Steve with wide, terrified eyes.

“Danny,” Steve breathes, reaching out and gently lifting his partner up. Danny is shaking and his skin is clammy and cold; his heart is racing like that of a trapped bird. Tenderly, Steve cradles him against his chest to get him warm:“What happened?”

Danny takes a moment to answer: “Cleaning lady,” he mutters, his voice brittle. “Had to hide in there and sh-she closed it.”

“Oh God, Danno, I'm so sorry.”

“Not your fault.” Which Steve knows, deep down, but Danny's so shell-shocked right now that he can't but blame himself. But at least no one discovered him. God, this could have ended so much worse. Instinctively, he reinforces his grip until Danny makes a sound of protest.

“Sorry,” Steve mutters, feeling his own fatigue and once more the weightiness of the situation creeping up on him. “Let's go home.”

 

Danny's stopped trembling by the time they reach the house, but he's awfully quiet and pale. Steve has been talking non-stop during the drive, telling his partner about the events at Washington Place, but now he's running out of things to say, and it's disconcerting that Danny didn't once comment on what he told him.

Twenty minutes later, they're lying on the couch- Danny is curled up on Steve's chest once more, and Steve, though he's rather weary now, is far from falling asleep; the situation is weighing on him.

To his surprise, it's Danny who breaks the heavy silence first: “Steve?”

“Yeah, Danno?”

“It's really not your fault.”

Steve's heart contracts at that. “I know,” he says after a moment. “Still. We need a contingency plan.”

“No.”

“No? Danny- after what just happened-”

“I am aware, thank you.” Danny sounds so much like his usual, normal-sized self that Steve is surprised. “But I refuse to be defeated by some stupid terrorists with bad timing and a drawer.”

“Oh?” is really all Steve can come up with.

“Yeah. So I'm thinking- maybe there's a way to wake that bastard Ericsson up?”

“Er...”

“Shoot him in the leg, perhaps?”

“Danno!”

“Just sayin'...” Danny raises his head, looking disheveled, but at least some colour has returned to his cheeks. He was close to admitting defeat, but now that the panic has abated, his exasperation has begun to turn into anger.

Steve smiles with the corners of his mouth: “Not that I don't like your way of thinking- but we can't do that.”

“Huh. ”

“Danny? What's brought this on?”

Danny exhales audibly before he answers: “I'm sick and tired of being the victim.”

Steve sighs: “Okay, that's understandable.” And he really wishes he could do something. For now, only one thing comes to mind: “How about breakfast?”

“'kay.”

 

Steve makes some tea which he waters down a bit; Danny, whose smaller body always seems cold, wraps his hands around the Barbie mug and sips the tea while Steve busies himself with breakfast.

Here in the bright, morning-sun filled kitchen the terror of being captured in a small, dark space seems rather intangible. Watching Steve moving around the room is strangely reassuring after the previous night, but Danny can see that his partner is knackered; he isn't the only one who had a bad night, after all. And above all, he isn't the only one who's affected by this situation.

“Steve,” he therefore says once again.

The SEAL looks up from the juice he is pouring: “Yeah?”

“We'll be okay. With a plan or without. Though I'd really like to shoot the guy in the leg.”

Steve chuckles, but then he takes a deep breath, eyes roaming over Danny's face: “I hope so, Baby,” he says quietly. “I miss you like hell.”

Thing is, Danny knows exactly what he means.

 

They don't have to come up with a plan. After breakfast, they go to bed and sleep for most of the day, and it's Steve's phone which wakes him around five p.m.

At first, he thinks it's Danny, but the caller ID is unknown: it's the hospital. Ericsson's woken up.

Danny is jittery and apprehensive at the news, but Steve's face is thunderous as he gets dressed: “Don't worry, Danno. I'll get him to talk, and I'll personally drag him to that warehouse if I have to.”

 

It's Chin who goes in with Steve to provide the voice of reason by playing the good cop to Steve's bad one, effectively making Ericsson see that complying with Steve's demands is the lesser of two- screw that, of all the evils which would otherwise befall him, and that doesn't even include the sentence he's looking at.

Max, whose got invaluable connections to people at the hospital, manages to clear their way, which is why Five-0 takes Ericsson out “for a stroll” on the very same evening. Max has examined the dead animals in the meantime; he's certain that some of the animals have been transformed twice; he doesn't elaborate, but Chin is certain that he muttered something about stomach contents.

Ericsson confirms this and also that all the animals survived the transformations.

“So why did you kill Harris?” Steve asks.

“I couldn't be sure that he wasn't going to talk. Plus, I had offered him a lot of money if he volunteered for the experiment. Money I don't have.” There's a gleam in his eyes, and Steve thinks he's crazy all right.

“So you killed him and dumped the body in the ocean, hoping he'd never be found.”

“Yeah.”

“How often did you transform him?”

“Three times.”

“Huh. Okay. I need you to do it one more time. If anything goes wrong, I'll kill you slowly and painfully and make your body disappear, understood?”

Turns out Ericsson, despite the fact that he'll go to jail, doesn't have a death wish.

Standing on the designated platform, Danny looks from the machine to Steve while Max, Kono and Chin supervise the scientist's preparations: “If this goes wrong...” He pauses, swallowing: “If this goes wrong, I want you to talk to Grace. Tell her... tell her I love her, no matter where I'll be. I'll never stop loving her.” His voice gives out.

“It won't go wrong,” Steve says quickly with more conviction than he feels. “It won't, okay?”

“Okay.” Danny doesn't look convinced. “But _if_ it does- you can keep my car.”

“Oh.” Steve almost laughs. “Okay.” He regards his partner for a long moment: “I love you, Danno.”

“Love you too, Babe.”

 

“Ready over here,” Chin calls out. Steve walks over to them, watching Danny as he braces himself. His heart is beating in his throat as Ericsson slowly counts backwards: “Ten- nine- eight- seven- six – five - four – three- two- one.”

It's soundless and quick as a flash. There's no actual flash, but for some reason, the onlookers need to avert their eyes; maybe it's because the human brain just can't process what it is seeing.

When Steve opens his eyes again, he needs to blink some moisture away at first, but then he can see that it seems to have worked- miniature Danny is gone, full-sized Danny is lying in a heap on the platform. Steve instantly moves, sprinting over to him: Danny isn't conscious, but he's breathing. A jolt of adrenaline surges through Steve's body, leaving him weak in the knees. Max arrives a few seconds later; together, they move Danny into the recovery position, and Steve finds he can't let go of his partner afterwards, keeping his hands on his arm and shoulder, needing to feel that he's back to normal.

“Is he alright?” Kono asks, and Max nods, looking up: “Detective Williams appears unharmed.”

Kono lets out a breath of relief. “You just dodged another bullet there,” she tells Ericsson. “Literally.”

“Make that three,” Chin says with a glance at Steve. Ericsson begins to sneer, aborting it with a pained gasp when Kono accidentally jostles his wheelchair.

 

“What do we do, Max?” Steve asks the ME in an undertone, mindful of how long Danny was unconscious after the first transformation. “We can't wait here until Danny wakes up.”

Right on cue though, Danny moves. It's infinitesimal at first, a slight shudder which runs through his body; Steve feels it under his hands rather than actually seeing it.

“Danno,” he says, running his hand up and down Danny's arm. “You with us?”

Danny groans: “Hngh.”

Steve could have wept: “That is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard you say!”

Danny doesn't open his eyes yet, but he hums faintly first in annoyance and then in agreement as Max informs him that he'll examine him in order to rule out any hidden injuries. Steve holds Danny's hand in his while Max gently palpates his torso, and it's marvelous that he can do so, that Danny is in one piece. He can feel Danny tense a few times; he's probably going to be black and blue after this. When he finally does open his eyes at Max's request, they're bloodshot and a little unfocused at first.

“Hey, Danno,” Steve says under his breath, affection audible in his tone as their gazes meet.

Max subdues a smile when he finally looks up: “Everything's fine,” he announces.

Danny groans: “Are you sure 'fine' is the word you wanna roll with?”

“I'm sorry, Detective,” Max replies. “Your body is bound to be very sore after such an ordeal. Considering all the things which could have gone wrong however, 'fine' is indeed the term I'd use.”

“Yeah well, you tell yourself that.” Danny closes his eyes again but then peers up at Max once more: “Hey Max? Thank you. Appreciate your help.”

“You're welcome, Detective.” Max smiles at him.

 

It takes a few minutes until Danny is able to sit up; he feels queasy and leans against Steve rather bonelessly, glad to have his partner there for support. Max accompanies Kono, Chin and Ericsson back to the hospital; before he leaves however, he pauses, looking at the machine: “It's a shame, really,” he says, “but if I may advise you further on this, Commander, I'd recommend for that thing to be destroyed. The world isn't ready for something like this.” He smiles a little wistfully: “With great power comes great responsibility, after all.”

Steve opens his mouth and closes it again before nodding: “Yeah, you're probably right,” he says. “Mahalo.”

Max nods as well, then he follows the others out of the building.

“He's such a geek,” Danny mutters under his breath.

Steve looks down at him, unable to contain his smile: Danny's a warm and more than welcome weight against him. Gently, he winds both arms around the other and nuzzles his temple: “Good to have you back,” he mutters.

“Yeah.” Danny shifts a little and grimaces. “You may have to carry me to the car though.”

“I'll gladly carry you wherever you want to go.”

“Not fitting into your palm anymore, Steve.”

“Doesn't matter.” Steve rests his cheek against Danny's for a moment, needing the contact and feeling his relief sweep through him once more: he actually shudders at the realization that this nightmare is over now.

“Hey, hey,” Danny's voice is soft: “I'm okay, Babe.”

“Yeah.” Steve turns his head and kisses Danny: “I know. I'm just glad we made it.”

“Me too.” Danny leans in to press his face against Steve's: “Can we go home now?”

Steve nods: “There's just one thing I have to do first.”

 

Once Danny's in the car, having made it there on his own two feet if with his partner's help, Steve goes back into that warehouse, takes aim with his gun and shoots at the machine until he's certain it won't work anymore; Chin has already removed the hard drive as a further precaution. With one last look at the thing, Steve turns away; he'll worry about it later. He'll have to talk to the governor about the case, make sure that nothing leaks. Preferably, they won't even involve the FBI; the less people know about the matter, the better, nothing has changed about that. Keeping secrets like this doesn't sit well with Steve, but on the other hand: Max had a point when he used that Spiderman- quote earlier ( _Yes, Danno_ , Steve thinks with a grin, _I know things_ ). He sighs: for now, all he wants is to be alone with Danny and forget about the rest.

 

At the house, Steve helps Danny out of the Camaro and keeps on hand under his arm as he walks towards the front door with all the speed and panache of a tortoise, biting back a groan with every step. It actually feels worse than it did after the first transformation, and the muscle tremors are back as well, but at least he's allowed to take some painkillers now that he's back to his original size.

Steve steers him straight over to the stairs, and Danny doesn't even protest; he's actually looking forward to a real bed. He does groan, can't help it, when Steve slings his arm over his shoulders to support him, but admittedly, he'd probably have given up at one point otherwise, because it feels like he's scaling Mount Everest.

Once they've mastered the climb and have reached the bedroom, Danny eases himself onto the mattress, determined not to get up again so soon. Steve gets him a glass of water and some Tramadol, which he gratefully swallows; sometimes it does come in handy to have the good stuff at home.

He is tempted to bat Steve's hands away when his partner begins to unbutton his shirt; much to his chagrin however, he's rather glad he doesn't have to do it himself, therefore he just tells Steve how much he feels like his own grandpa and hates it. And deep down, he knows that Steve probably needs this right now; he's a very tactile person, after all. So he lets Steve help him with the clothes and tuck him in.

When Danny's finally lying down, the relief is tremendous, he really feels as though he's been working out for twelve hours and subsequently beaten up. He's rather glad now that he didn't give in to his initial impulse to ask Steve to drive him to Rachel's, since he's missing Grace and could do with a long hug; but that will have to wait until he's better.

“I'm gonna make some sandwiches,” Steve says but then sits down next to him with Aneurysm Face. So Danny makes the effort to reach out for Steve's hand and pulls him closer until he is lying down next to him with his head on his shoulder and his arm around Danny's midriff. The latter can tell that his partner tries not to be heavy: “Relax, Babe,” he therefore says. “I can take your weight.”

“Don't wanna make the pain worse, Danno.”

“You're the good kind of pain, surely I must have told you so before?” Danny quips, half-jokingly.

So Steve complies and Danny winds both arms around him: “I love you,” he says softly.

“I love you more,” Steve replies, and to his own annoyance, his throat is rather right all of a sudden, making his words coming out all choked. “God, Danny.”

The immensity of what they've just gotten out of is hitting him with full force now that he's got his partner back like this.

Danny's gaze strays to the small, improvised bed on the nightstand before he carefully tightens his grip around Steve: “We're fine,” he murmurs, nuzzling Steve's forehead. “I may not be able to move around much in the foreseeable future, but it's over.”

Steve just turns his face into Danny's shirt and stays like that until both of them fall asleep.

 

Later that night, Steve wakes up once because he needs to pee; barely opening his eyes, he takes off his pants and shirts afterwards and crawls under the covers, gently winding one arm around Danny and pushing one leg between his partner's, firmly attaching himself to the other man: with his nose against the warm skin of Danny's neck, he dozes off again in record time.

 

On the following day, Steve wakes up knowing that he needs to go and talk to the governor first off in order to try and explain to him why this case has to be handled delicately and must be kept under wraps, preferably all through the trial; he is planning to take Denning to the morgue and show him the murder victim, which seems easiest under the circumstances.

He is pondering this as he's lying awake early in the morning; instead of getting up and going for his swim, he stays where he is, still wrapped around Danny. Who looks peaceful if rather battered, and there are dark smudges underneath his eyes. Well, Steve is going to make sure that he'll take things slowly the next few days, no pun intended. And then he'll talk to Danny and ask him what he thinks about marrying again, because one more thing has become crystal clear to him: they can't waste any more time, and he doesn't want to miss out on anything.

When Danny wakes up an hour later, he finds himself still firmly entangled with his partner, and even while he's still drifting through the last remnants of sleep, slowly making it to the surface, he burrows as far into the embrace as he can, relishing the solid, velvety warmth that is Steve. He presses his face into his chest and exhales contentedly, feeling how Steve hooks his leg more tightly around his own and wishes they could stay like this forever.

“I love you,” he mutters against the other's skin, and Steve's voice reverberates in his chest as he answers: “Love you more, Danno.”

 

A week later, Max, Chin and Kono come over for a barbecue in the evening.

Steve has just fired up the grill when they arrive on the lanai; Danny's in the kitchen talking to Gracie on the phone, making plans for the weekend. When he comes out to join them, he seems relaxed and happy.

Kono grins: “There's our Malibu Ken!”

Danny shakes his head with a squint: “Seriously, Kalakaua?”

Chin laughs quietly: “She's been waiting for the right moment, brah.”

Kono shrugs: “It would have been mean at the time. But now that it's over...”

Danny hugs her: “I love you, too.”

Steve hands out beers, then takes his own bottle and holds it up: “Here's to no more mad scientists,” he says, and they clink their bottles together.

Max scrunches up his nose: “He may be mad and not have any ethics, but he's also quite brilliant, as I said. It's a shame he didn't put his extraordinary brain to better use.”

Chin raises one eyebrow, making air quotes with his fingers: “No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.“

“Fantastic Four?”

“Aristotle.”

“Oh.”

 

Danny joins Steve at the grill: “Hey.”

“Hey.”

The smile at one another, clinking their bottles together one more time.

“Malibu Ken, huh,” Steve says, snickering, and despite his annoyance at that, Danny feels relief welling up in him because Steve is obviously doing much better by now; it took him a while to process things, which isn't really surprising considering his many issues. But he seems back on track, and Danny is grateful that they can leave the whole sorry episode behind them soon; real closure will have to wait until Ericsson's been tried and convicted, but the governor, after staring at Harris' body speechlessly for about five minutes, is helping things along a great deal.

He doesn't tell Steve all this, of course, but raises his hand to his ear: “Excuse me? Let me inform you that Malibu Ken's got nothing on me, hair- or abs-wise.”

Steve can't contain his mirth: “The very fact that you know what he looks like!” He grins broadly.

“I have sisters,” Danny replies. “As you well know, G.I. Steve.”

Steve isn't in the least fazed by this: “G.I. Joe is cool, Danno!”

“It's still a doll.”

“It's an action figure!”

“You keep telling yourself that, but underneath the camo, he still looks like Ken's Rambo brother.”

“It's a classic!”

“So is Malibu Ken!”

 

Kono is watching her bosses with a fond smile, relieved how things have turned out. She's well aware that this matter could have been the end of Five-0 as they knew it, since she doesn't think Steve would have been able to bounce back if he had lost Danny like this. She's caught him browsing the Tiffany's website on the previous day, and even though he quickly closed his laptop, the tip of his ears turning an adorable shade of pink, she's got an inkling what he was looking for. And it's making her happy for both their friends' sake. Steve's the best leader this task force could possibly have, but Danny is his heart.

Apparently, they're now done bickering, or maybe Steve just thinks that a kiss is the most effective way to shut his partner up, because he winds one arm around his shoulders, pulls him close and, at the last moment remembering that they've got company, kisses him on the temple.

Danny however rolls his eyes, tugs Steve closer by the front of his shirt and kisses him properly. They don't usually do this in front of their ohana, but it can certainly be put down to mitigating circumstances for once. The same goes for the round of applause and the catcalls the kiss is eliciting, of course.

 

Later, after their guests have left and everything's been cleaned up, Steve and Danny go and sit on the chairs by the beach; the full moon is illuminating the night, painting the sea silver and the surf a pearly alabaster.

“This is beautiful,” Danny murmurs, and he doesn't only mean the view; sitting here after a relaxed evening with their friends, holding hands with Steve and feeling at peace with the world for once is doing a lot for his recently bruised soul.

“Absolutely,” Steve agrees, thinking along similar lines. “I'm very glad we're getting to do this.”

Danny sighs: “Hm. I think I'm gonna keep you, G.I. Steve.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Well, you've kind of grown on me.”

“Huh. Good to know.” But there's a smile audible in Steve's tone, and he's squeezing Danny's hand.

Danny squeezes back: “I might even go swimming with you.”

Steve sits up straighter: “Now?”

“I didn't mean-” Danny looks from his partner's delighted face to the moonlit ocean and sighs: “Ah, what the hell.”

Which is how G.I. Joe and Malibu Ken ended up skinny-dipping on Oahu in the middle of a beautiful night.

 

The End

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I'm not a Native Speaker, therefore I apologize for any mistakes.


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